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Category: family

First of all, thanks for visiting my website. I have been writing on my blog here for the past couple of years, and at least 3 times a week for that past year. For the most part, I have been sharing about my interests in mobile photography and sharing micro-fiction stories and poems. As I have been posting over the past few weeks, my heart has moved towards writing about what I have done for the past 3 decades; and that is working with children. I realize more than anything else that I am a voice from the world 5 foot and under.

I have decided that the majority of content on this blog will shift to benefit anyone who works with or raises young children: parents, grandparents, step-parents, foster parents, teachers, coaches, social workers, pediatricians, dentists, therapists, Sunday School teachers, etc. If you are any of those listed and want to hear another voice from the world 5-foot and under, then keep following and give me the opportunity to share my experiences and perspective.

Although I do not consider myself the highest authority on the subject of children, I have worked with children for 30 years and been a parent for over 20, so at least I can share with you some mistakes and learnings. Yes, I am still learning. And yes, I am a preacher, and preachers preach. Be forewarned, I might start singing, “Jesus Loves the Little Children” because He does!

About 3 times during the week on the blog, I will be sharing thoughts that I believe will make you smile, nod your head, chuckle and even shed a few tears. Since I still love writing what I call 1-minute fiction, I might squeeze in one every now and then. I am working on publishing some works, and you will get to see the process. I hope you join in and enjoy the journey with me by tapping the “Subscribe” button at the top of this page. Cheers!

Like this:

I enjoyed watching my wife bring her floral designs to The Big Fake Wedding this past week. I asked the wedding party to pose with the bouquets and boutonnieres, and after I saw this picture I got to thinking about what happens after the bliss. Let’s face it. Marriage bliss is not 24/7 except for the rare few who reside in some fairy tale. (And even in a fairy tale there is an evil queen/mother-in-law messing things up for the couple.) For some, it is not even 24 minutes out of the 7 days of the week.

Those habits and quirks that were once “cute” become irritations. Gravity mixed with eating over time become bliss killers too. So what is a person to do when the bliss has become more like piss?

Some of us have issues that go way beyond what a blog post can fix, but at least try this one thing to get on the road to a healthier relationship. Take the “i” out of “bliss” and replace it with “e” to make the word “bless.”

Be good to each other. Do good to each other. When you were dating or engaged, I suspect that you went the extra mile for each other. You probably did more kind gestures. You were probably more generous with your time and money. You were very likely more patient and forgiving than you are now. There was never a reason to stop being that way you once were before. I am not saying anything new. If you want your relationship to change then the first thing to change is you.

Give it a try. Give it time. Let me know. Ok, time for comments. Chime in and be heard.

When friends and co-workers hijack my phone the results (without consent) are typically a marital status change on my FaceBook or a tweet about me loving Hello Kitty (although I do have much love for Batzmaru.) I don’t think my daughters are well versed in practical jokes yet, so I will gladly accept any hijacking they do as long as it doesn’t involve them buying something. Here are the latest.

I am thankful for my kids. I don’t bat 1.000 as a dad, but I will keep swinging.

I thought I was done with this post, but have a few more thoughts that need to be expressed. I spend a majority of my waking hours working as childrens pastor, and I see tons of children who do not have a father present in their lives. Many of them have never met or know their father. Much respect to the men who take the responsibility of being a father to their children. I had the privilege of having a father in my life. His constant presence in my life created a stability that I have taken 30 years into my own adult life. As imperfect as I am I have always had some kind of level-headedness because my dad was and still is. If you are a male and have children then be a man and be a dad to your children. So many of them do not.

As I usually do as the supervisor of the children’s department of my church, I stood watch in the lobby as the building doors opened for the parents to drop off their children. I greeted as many kids and parents as I could in the span of about 10 minutes before a 4-year old girl’s voice called out to me. She handed me a note and said, “I wrote it myself. It’s for you.”

I studied the note and saw how carefully she drew her pictures and write her newly acquired written language. I couldn’t decipher her preschool code, but I saw that she knew how to spell her name. As I focused on this text, this little person said, “I know how to spell my name.” The note was signed, “Ava.”

I kept the note as a reminder that I have influence over a young and impressionable person’s life. I read somewhere that said that even the most introverted of folks will influence about 10,000 people in their lifetime. I am asking myself the same question I am asking you, “What are you doing about it?”

“One of the best moments that can ever happen between a father and his son is that time when the father is just a “grown-up” kid with his kid doing something like walking around the rocks during low tide.”

Navigating through the tide pools, throwing rocks, looking for stuff, etc. and the quiet moments of simply being and being together help bond the souls of the man and his child.

Like this:

I posted this picture on Instagram and FaceBook on Throwback Thursday. Who switched it anyways? I thought it was Flashback Friday.

My son and I walked through Venice Beach back in 2009 with a Canon Rebel. We were armed with a 2GB card for pics and $25 for lunch.

We had a fun time that day people watching and taking pics. He’s an adult now, so the question is, “Did I provide a lot of memories for future Throwback Thursdays?” Am I providing enough for my wife and daughters?

I think most of us agree that the things we attain and our accomplishments mean very little when we have no one to share them with. Our greatest investments will be time spent with those who are closest to us.

What are you doing to deposit memories in the bank for future Throwback Thursdays?

This Japanese beetle reminds me of the time my girls (4 years old then) refused to go outside because of a curious and very large beetle buzzing at our window. Although Japanese beetles are harmless to people they can look and sound menacing. I promised them that this bug would not bother them if they would just go with me to the car, so we could run some errands.

Unbeknownst to me, this beetle made its way into my car through a crack as I negotiated with my little ladies. After threatening my daughters of a lifetime ban of candy if they didn’t cooperate, the two girls finally rushed out of the house and into my car like Navy Seals under duress.

If you can imagine the chaos that ensued once this clumsy beetle emerged from his hiding place to buzz around our heads inside the tiny cabin of my Toyota Corolla. The girls screamed. I screamed. We all screamed and ran out of the car in terror.

My kids still love me although the trust level is just not there when it comes to being safe with beetles. This is the part where I come up with something mind blowing about life, but right now I got nothing except when you see a Japanese beetle watch yo back!